How loud should my 200 be??

[Oregone]

Ok, I'm sure this has been asked a time or two, but I cant find it.

I recently acquired a wurly 200. Cleaned it out, just received the one replacement reed that I needed, as well as the capstan tool so I can make a few adjustments.

Its in pretty nice shape, and sounds fairly good. Vibrato works, and I don't seem to get a terrible amount of noise from the amp.

Being that I am in a smaller rural community, I have absolutely no other 200's or 200A's to compare mine to in regard to volume. I've never had the chance to play or be around one before this.

I'm just trying to judge whether mine is 100% functional or not. Can someone say what db a wurly 200 should be at? At a particular distance? Thoughts???

[Oregone]

The help has been overwhelming.... thanks!

[pgroff]

Hi Oregone,

Well, I don't know how many of us have db meters . . . so asking "how loud should a 200 be?" raises other questions in return. 

I think a model 200 in good shape played through the internal speakers with the volume cranked should approximate the volume of a typical acoustic upright piano. But again that raises more questions than it answers. Even a non-electric piano (really a "pianoforte") can have quite a volume range, which is really the point of an instrument designed to respond expressively to touch.  How hard are you playing, and in what style - one or two fingers played very gently, or maybe stride style left hand with octaves and chords in the right hand?

But FWIW:

My 200  is  late for that model -  1974 - so it has a late version of the 200 amp and both left and right speakers are the same type (earlier 200 pianos had different amp designs and differing speakers on the left vs right).  Mine is in working but not restored condition.  I don't see any evidence that mine has ever been recapped or otherwise modded or repaired. No hum shields added. Hum and noise are not too bad, or maybe I'm just tolerant. I can play mine quietly but when played strongly with the volume turned up,  through the internal speakers, it'll fill a room at home. Using the headphone jack for headphones (with a mono to stereo adapter) it can get louder than I need or want it - but my ears are still in decent shape.

If you play with a loud drummer or in a large room where there's noise, you'll need an external amp. I used 200 and 200A wurlies as a teenager in the 1970s and always used an amp, sometimes ran them through the PA as well.

BTW, those internal speakers sound much quieter when the top is off than when it's all together -- when designing the 200 series, they must have tuned the enclosure.

Even at home,  I usually turn down the volume on the piano to mix the sound from the internal speakers with external amplification. That's to have effects from the external amp, rather than to get more volume.



PG

[DocWurly]

Some of the 200's are real quiet.  Too quiet.  I don't know if this is the sign of the amp circuitry starting to fail, or if the early ones were always underpowered.

[pianotuner steveo]

There's an app for that.

There is or at least was a db app for phones and iPads. If you can download it and test at a certain distance at full volume, then maybe others can do the same and compare. Unfortunately, my 200A is stored in my attic at the moment, only my 206A and my 700 are set up. Different Amps. I do have the app though.

[pgroff]

Some of the 200's are real quiet.  Too quiet.  I don't know if this is the sign of the amp circuitry starting to fail, or if the early ones were always underpowered.

Thanks Paleophone, I know you've seen many more of these than I have.

I can't speak to the 1968 - 1970 model 200, but I remember playing new 200 and 200A models in the showroom, starting around 1971 I think until around 1976. I owned one until around 1979 that was still playing strongly then. Those new Wurlies always had plenty of volume from the internal speakers, never remember finding them quiet. I was coming from the perspective of playing upright "real" pianos at home and around town (and a grand at my high school), and I think I played those pretty hard (so, loudly) at times. lol.

So I'm suspecting your experience of quiet Model 200 Wurlies is reflecting drift of tolerances or other results of aging circuitry or speakers.

PG

[cinnanon]

I have noticed that the 200's seem quieter but more barky and trebly overall compared to the 200A. The 200A's speakers are attached directly to the lid which may make them seem louder since the whole lid reverberates (and vibrates). I can't attest to the actual wattage of the amps though.

[Adam Ziolkowski]

Cranked to 11...

[pianotuner steveo]

I'm not 100% sure, but I seem to remember the 200 amp being in the 10-12 watt range, and the 200A being in the 15-18 watt range. Does this sound familiar?

[funkylaundry]

I have two 200 Wurlies sitting here at the moment that I can maybe try and test. But they are not set up ad I'm preparing for Christmas, so not sure I can make it today.

But in general I find 200 models to be quieter than 200A as well. Quiter than an acoustic upright as noted elsewhere. I installed a Retrolinear amp in my personal one which helped a bit, but not that much. It's a shame because the speakers sound really good and but you get a lot of mechanical noise if you mic them because they are so quiet.

[Tim Hodges]

I can't give you a decibel range but I can say it's pretty loud, depends on the 200 amp revision though. Later revisions of the 200 amp are better (1974 for example.) I should note it sounds quieter when the lid is taken off.